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Beginner Guide
This guide provides a quick overview of what to expect and addresses what players commonly find confusing when they first start during closed beta. Rather than describe every detail about each thing that may be new to you, a Suggested Reading section at the near the end of this article will help you pick a related topic so that you don't have to follow in-text links within the text unless you want to. In some cases, related topics are positioned near the end of specific sub-sections to accommodate readers who may only read parts of this guide. :You can also return to the menu-list of User Guides for even more options. About Beta The guide has been updated in late Aug 2014, during closed beta. Please bear in mind that due to the nature of beta, the game has frequent updates that may change things radically on a (typically) weekly basis. Check the Blueprint updated by developer Dave "Smokejumper" Georgeson for a timeline of what may have and what may change. (The Blueprint does not include all planed updates/changes, but those they can estimate. To put changes into perspective, here are just a few examples of radical changes that have already occurred: *Caves were added and the mass quantities of ore and minerals that used to be all over the surface of the islands are primarily in caves. *The number of Claims players can have has changed multiple times. *Guilds were finally added. *You no longer need to craft any of the Building Tools. As you look around the wikia, you'll notice many pages have a section for Beta Bugs. Bugs listed there may or may not have been fixed, but those that have been reported often or that seem to recur are typically listed so you know why an issue may arise. Since the game is in a beta phase, please report any bugs you encounter. In game you can type /bug in a chat window and describe the problem and any details about what may have caused it (eg. the game freezes when using the spire) or head to the forums and look for the special section to report bugs. There will be a server wipe between closed and open beta. Do not hoard materials, gear (both found and crafted) and other items. You will get to keep templates (described near the end of this article), anything you buy from the Showcase with Station Cash, and any items redeemed as a part of a special promotion (from Twitch streams, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and anything that was included with Founder's Packs. Beta Advice Though we have in-game chat, it has been bugged from time to time, so you may need to type /join General to see general chat the first time or (occasionally) when you travel to another server. To speak or reply type a slash (/') and the channel number you see next to the word General that proceeds the names of players speaking there. *The community is usually helpful, so ask questions. Bear in mind that replies may take awhile it they have bugged chat and don't realize that they have lost general chat. :Most of the pages on this wikia that have been updated recently will mention closed beta and the month and year in bold at the top of the page. Even so, not all updates can be added here immediately so ask in chat or ask questions on the forums. Terminology *'Claim is used to describe the area in which a player can build anything they can dream up, since Landmark is a "genre agnostic" game (not limited to fantasy themes, sci-fi, etc). You can have more than one claim, but the word is often used to describe an entire area that a player is building in, not just a single are set aside using a Claim Flag and Attached Claim Flags. *'Spire' is a word that is familiar to EQ and EQ2 players. For those starting, it refers to a large structure with a floating crystal that must be clicked on to travel to and from islands and servers. The spire also has a mailbox all of the basic tables you need to craft items like you claim flag, picks for mining, etc. You must get very close the the floating crystal, look up and when the hand icon appears, click to open the travel options. :*When you travel, you'll see servers listed as "Worlds" and each of these has "Islands" (similar to "zones" in other games). For more info on how this works see the Servers and Islands page, which also describes different types of servers and islands. See the Spire page for details about what's there. :*The spire is always located in the center of the map (M'). *'Materials is a general term for anything in Landmark that the player gathers using picks, axes, and sickles. Materials are used both to build on a claim and to make items when you craft. The word harvestable or harvests is frequently used in a general manner as well, per the habit of many long-time EQ and EQ2 players (where the word is common lingo). *'Tier' describes progression of materials you gather to craft (eg. make gear, like picks for mining), build, and more. Though it may seem like "levels" in other games it's akin to range of levels in a game that has no levels for characters. At this time, such materials are on different islands. A detailed explanation can be found on the page about Tiers. Each island currently has (primarily) a single tier of ore and minerals on it, though there is a slight overlap with smaller amounts of the adjacent tier's materials. *'Biome' refers to the differing environments (desert, snow, etc) that you will see on the islands. At this time, Landmark has 4 Biomes and any 2 can be on the same map. Each biomes must be visited to gather materials used to craft gear, because each one has unique Trees and Plants that can only be harvested there. Though the materials themselves have tiers associated with them, you do not need to visit an island of that associated tier. Instead, you can go to any island that has the biome from which you must harvest. Again, see the Servers and Islands page for details or the Trees page for info and images about specific trees. *'Inventory' is typically used to describe what most people think of as a bag in many games. In Landmark, pressing i''' opens inventory, but it has has two tabs at all times. One tab (a Bag icon) for normal things you'll carry and the second (a cluster of squares icon) on a tab that holds the materials you gather. Should you delete a claim or fail to pay upkeep, third tab with icon that looks like a clock appears, and you need to remove contents within 24 hours. Your First Day in Landmark When you create a character in Landmark, you can choose a server (world) to start on and you will be randomly paced on a Tier 1 island. Though you are asked to choose a server, you are not obligated to stay on that server, because players can travel to and from different servers in order to visit claims or place a claim of their own if the server they chose is too crowded at the time they want to place a claim. You start on a Tier 1 island because the ore and minerals you need to craft your Claim Flag. In most cases, you should be on an island that also has the correct biome to make the first upgrade to you mining pick and the axe if they are made of stone. This is not always true for those who bought a Founder's Pack for Alpha or Closed Beta, since those players begin with a Founder's Pickaxe that can mine and chop down trees. :See the image on the right. When you start, the Gathering List will be on your screen, so you know what you need to make a claim flag. You can mouse over the icons to see which materials you need. The bottom number is what you need to make the flag. The top number how much you have. It will update what you have as you mine and chop the wood used to craft a claim flag at back at the spire, by using a Tinkerer's Workshop (a table with a robot arm) to craft the flag. :*Press '''L to open the Recipe Journal. If you click on the tab for the Tinkerer's workshop, you may want to add the recipe for a Portal Shard to the Gathering List too, since it you can use those shards from your inventory to travel back to the spire (and other locations) instantly. You currently start the game with only 2 or 3 and can gather the materials to make more while you are getting what you need for your flag. At this time, you can add 5 recipes to the list. Before you can choose a location and stake your first claim, you must make (at least) one claim flag. For details on how to do so, see the page about Claims. There are tips, tricks, and useful images that will aid you in the entire process of staking a claim. While you are out gathering the needed materials, gather at least 300 extra Copper Ore; you must pay a daily upkeep (24 real-world hours) per claim you place in copper until normal currency is added to the game. Should you choose to leave the island you start on, you will need to travel back to a tier one island to mine more, so having extra on-hand is great if you don't want to feel limited in where you can place a claim. :For detailed info on how to stake your claim, see the page about Claims. Gathering Materials and Crafting When you first enter the world, you will be right near the spire (travel, public crafting area) and you can not gather materials in the immediate area. Once you have moved far enough out, a system message will let you know you can start harvesting. Also, if you are out and about in the world and walk into another player's claim area (or your own), you can't harvest there. Each claim has a "buffer zone" around it though, so materials can be gathered. It takes (most) of the land around you about 20 minutes to repair itself after you wreak havoc, so don't worry about destroying the ground or deforesting the area. Equipping and Using Tools In order to begin gathering, you first need to equip your pick to mine and axe to chop down trees. If you start with stone tools, they should already be in the hotbar. If not, press i''' to open your inventory and drag them to the hotbar. When you want to use a tool, L click to activate it. When you want to put a tool away press ESC. As you progress in Landmark, you will need to upgrade your tools. For example, some trees can only be chopped down with an axe of a minimum tier; if you try to chop a tree and can't, it's time to open the Recipe Journal ('''L), look at the recipes for the forge recipes plan to gather what you need to upgrade your tool. If you try to gather something that your tools can not mine (etc.) you'll hear two, rapid, flat "clunks". *Mining: Your pick will have a circular target-indicator; it must be blue to mine and if it's red, are too far away or in an off-limits area like a claim. When mining you will have to click to strike area you are mining each time. General descriptions of what you can mind is described in the next section. *Which trees you cut down matters too. All will give you plenty of logs and either 1-3 Heartwood or a special wood components like Palm Heart. When cutting down trees, you can double click and your character will keep chopping. *When harvesting plants, you must get very close to use the sickle. :To learn more about tools and upgrading them so you gather more efficiently (and faster) see the Gathering Tools page. What to Gather When you are out gathering nearly everything you encounter in the natural landscape can be gathered (if you have the right tools). Most notable is the land itself; hitting the ground with a pick will give you dirt, sand, and stone depending on the type of biome and area you are in. The primary use for these materials is building on claims, so gathering them is often worthwhile. There are 3 general categories of materials you can harvest from looking for very specific that can be used to craft items (eg. gear, potions) or build on a claim. They are identified by looking for: *Ore and minerals: ore will have a lumpy surface texture and a somewhat shiny metallic look. Minerals either rather rough textured or have a crackle texture and range from matte textures to glossy. Both ore and minerals come in a wide range of colors and many mimic real-world precious metals and gems. *Trees: trees come in many varieties and have different looks depending on the biome they are located in. For example, there are snowy pines in the Tundra biome and palm trees in the Tropical biome. There are three different types of logs depending on the trees (with different styles for building) and the special wood used in crafting typically comes from very narrow trees (though not always). *Plants: plants are used make potions like Bottled Moonlight, clothing, and props to add detail and decor to a claim. You must make a Silver Sickle to harvest plants, but when you do, they can be tricky to spot until you are used to finding them. When you can harvest a plant it will have a faint gold glow around it. Where to Gather Where you need to go to gather depends on your goal, but the basic things you need to know are that: *Ore and minerals are located on islands of differing tiers. The most common ore and minerals can be found on the surface, but you need to enter Caves to get the vast majority of materials of this general category. Before you jump into the very deep drop-offs in caves, make a Grappling Hook. If you forget, hit ESC and choose Evac from the list to return to the top of a cave. *Trees are...complicated. As mentioned in the Terminology section and just above, they are in different biomes and you'll need to be able to spot the specific for getting semi-rare crafting components. You can read about the trees on the wikia, but if you need help remembering in-game, click the giant ?' icon near the bottom left side of the screen, at the end of the Landmark menu icons. :See the page about Gathering for more details on the overall activity, the Mining Guide, or the page about Trees. Crafting The crafting process is fairly simple at this stage, but changes are still in the works. The most important things you need to know are that: *All of the crating stations (aka crafting tables) can be found at the spire, but the same basic tables can be used on ''any claim that has them (this may change somewhat around Aug 27, 2014) when consensual PVP is added to the game). *Due to the above, it is to your advantage to progressively upgrade gathering tools first before you focus on building private crafting stations or diving into building on a claim. *Use the Recipe Journal ('''L) described in earlier sections often. It helps you see what you may want to make from anywhere in the world and keeps you focused on finding what you need. *When you are ready to craft and have the right materials, you simply need to go to the correct station and click to open the crafting interface, choose a recipe and hit the button at the bottom to make items. Some recipes require sub-components that must be made first, like Copper Ingots. :See the Crafting page for detailed descriptions of the process, including information about the stations, and helpful images related t the crafting process. Tips and Tricks *When looking for a specific ore or mineral, press i''' to open your inventory. You can see the types you can gather in the materials tab and the icons are the same color as the ore and minerals you need to fine. *In the upper left corner of your screen you'll see the Materials Tray. Open is, click on a material you are harvesting and you can see how much you are gathering. This is very useful when you are out gathering Copper Ore to pay upkeep on a claim. *If you are having trouble finding specific surface ore or minerals, go to a biome where the ground contrasts with what you need. For example, it is easier to see Obsidian (black) in snowy tundra terrain. *Unlike other games, Landmark want gathering to be social activity. Team up with one or more friends and as long as you are within (approximately) 200m of each other everyone harvesting gets the exact same materials. Split your Party up into different tasks to get more variety or focus on only mining (etc.) to get one type of material in larger quantities. Claims and Building Because the ability to stake a claim and build anything you dream up is so alluring, it's the first thing people have on their minds when they run off into the world. The basic things you need to know: :About claims: *Unless the island you are on is very crowded, wander to different islands and see the each biome. For example, your dream fortress may be better suited to a snowy mountainside and you may be standing in the balmy desert. *If the server you picked seems very crowded in the type of biome you want to build in, remember, you can go to other servers. The islands with the same names on each server look the same, so you can look for more locations on other servers. Chat is (now) cross-server. *The number of claims we can have is changing, but you you get more than one, so don't worry if you are unsure about where to build and what to build. :About building: *You can build in an area you place a claim or claims you've been granted access to by friends. *You will get all of the building tools as soon as you place a claim *Building looks complicated and using some of the tools take practice, but you'll find many tutorials (written, video) on the forums, here and on Twitch and YouTube. Many players who stream on Twitch focus on teaching people to build and some will answer your questions and demonstrate techniques you ask about. Tools have been updated many times, so the newer the recorded video or more recent the written tutorial, the more likely it is to be accurate. Ask on for help on the forums. It's a great community! *Anything you build can be saved as a template; it's rather like having a file folder on your PC with your pictures and you can save things under new template names. It makes experimenting is easy (save often at first) and you can delete a whole claim (or forget to pay upkeep) and the entire claim is automatically saved as a template. Though there will be a server wipe between closed and open beta, you 'will get to keep your templates (but not your materials and crafted gear) :The process of placing a claim entails understanding many details like how to see where you can stake a claim, paying upkeep, and setting permissions to invite friends to build with you. See the Claims page for that info and more, with useful images and videos. To get a better sense of what building is about, see the Building page or if you're the type to who wants to get started as soon as you can, take a look at the Building Tools to learn the basics of what each tool is used for, along with keyboard commands and shortcuts. Recommended Gear To make your life in Landmark easier, you might consider making these wonderful items as soon as you can: *Grappling Hook a great way to get out of caves, but also amazing for traveling up and over the many mountains of Landmark. *Messenger's Signet will give you a speed boost when running. *Ring of Bounty with let you gather more materials. *Lightstone will light your way in the darkness of caves and help you find loot-laden Chests *Calibrated Rockgrinders let you drill your way underground. Not only is this useful in caves, it's just darn fun to run around with an giant drill. Gallery of UI Windows New players may want to read the following pages, to help them understand Landmark's User Interface (UI)" *User Interface describe what each element on your screen is and its purpose. For example, you can tell which server and island you are on by looking in the upper left corner of the screen at any time. *Controls has all of the keyboard commands and shortcuts you will want to use while playing. You can also press ESC while in-game and click Customize Controls to look up the shortcuts you forget. Keys can be rebound, but its not recommended until you have played for awhile and understand how many different keys are used for different purposes in different situations. The following images are here to help you identify important elements of the User Interface (UI) that you'll use regularly. Suggested Reading For more detailed info on the topics briefly covered here you can read about: *Servers and Islands and Spire *Crafting and Gathering *Claims and Building Why Doesn't The Game Have EQ in the Name now? Before Alpha, the marketing of the game was trying to let players know that what we do here (build, etc.) will strongly influence the world of EQNext. Unfortunately, that created a lot of unhappy players who also thought Landmark strongly tied to the world players know (Norrath) from EQ and EQ2; many expected the continuation of the exact same lore, the same races and so on. Without a doubt, you will see echos of the EQ franchise and the development team is already working with the players to influence EQNext's style, including "Workshops" and contests that have influenced SOEs approach to the look of dark elves and the cities they live in. To clear that confusion up, the EQN was dropped from the game's title, since it is its own world. If you enjoyed the EQ franchise, you will still find a lot that reminds you of Norrath and the community is as great as it is in those games though. Want to help design the look of a Dwarven city and have your building show up in EQN? You can do that in Landmark. Beta Bugs Oh yes, it's closed beta. Many bugs are afoot and many come and go with many updates. You'll notice that most recently updated sections mention of this wiki beta bugs specific to the topic (like the mysterious vanishing trees) The notes below focus on the most common bugs related to performance. The Landmark forums also has a special area to report bugs/ask for help. Check there and post if you encounter something new. *Many players are still experiencing game-freezes and some crash to desktop too. *In case of a freeze (often when you use the spire) press CTRL + Alt + Delete. The game will minimize and bringing it back to full screen typically un-freezes the game. *The game Cache often overloads with data. To clear it, open the launcher for the game, click the gear icons on the bottom left corner. When the menu opens, choose Open Game Directory; open the Cache file and delete the file folders inside; close the launcher, reopen the launcher, click the gears again and this time, choose Validate Assets. This often clears up freezing and crashing, as well as random rendering bugs seen on claims (eg. looks like part of a claim is missing, bit it's actually still there) *Check your graphics settings; they are on ultra by default and a slight bump down from ultra help many people; turn off the special shaders for graphics cards made by NVidia; make sure drivers for your graphics and other systems are up to date. :*The game is '''not yet optimized, so how well it works often varies wildly. The good news is they are constantly making small improvements. The bad news is the most heavy optimization can not be done until more of the complex game systems (eg. monsters with AI) are added to the world. In the meantime, head to the forum and ask the community for help; they are often faster with answers and have more solutions that have worked for them. Just remember to always list your system specs in posts looking for technical help and when reporting bugs. Category:Guides